ATDDTA Penrose, Chums over Canada (p149), pelt/veldt (146)

[Monte Davis]

MikeB:
> Pg 146 "Since Dr. Jim's little adventure it's all been Queer 
> Street out there, hasn't it. War any moment, shouldn't 
> wonder." He began to quote the British poet-laureate's 
> commemorative verse, with its questionable rhyme of "pelt" 
> and "veldt." - eehh, which verse would that be; which 
> laureate, adventure, or Dr Jim, for that matter? I searched a little.

The AtD wiki is your friend:
http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_119-148#Page
_146

"Dr. Jim's little adventure"

A reference to the so-called "Jameson Raid" spearheaded by Dr. L. S.
Jameson. The raid was intended to trigger an uprising among the British
expatriate workers (the Uitlanders) in the Transvaal, but failed, and
instead served to further destabilize the region and catalyze the Second
Boer War. Wikipedia entry (From Wikipedia: "The Jameson Raid (December 29,
1895 - January 2, 1896) was a raid on Paul Kruger's Transvaal Republic
carried out by Leander Starr Jameson and his Rhodesian and Bechuanaland
policemen over the New Year weekend of 1895-96. It was intended to trigger
an uprising by the primarily British expatriate workers (known as
Uitlanders) in the Transvaal but failed to do so. The raid was ineffective
and no uprising took place."

"the British poet-laureate's commemorative verse"

Reference to Alfred Austin. From Wikipedia: "As poet-laureate, his topical
verses did not escape negative criticism; a hasty poem written in praise of
the Jameson Raid in 1896 being a notable instance."
The questionable rhyme referred to is from that "hasty poem" --
        They went across the veldt,
        As hard as they could pelt.
ce, but it did much to bring about the Second Boer War and the Second
Matabele War.")